The present invention relates to home cooking appliances and, more particularly, to an automatic electric muffin maker for baking muffins and related foodstuffs.
Batch type appliances for baking foodstuffs from batter are known in the prior art. One example of such an appliance is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,949 to Ferrara, Jr. et al. which provides a batch baker comprising a compact oven for baking breads, muffins and other baked items of a general disc shape. This device includes a housing in which a lower cooking cavity having a plurality of alternating vertically aligned disk-shaped members and semicircular troughs for receiving batter is disposed. A serpentine heating element is configured to pass between adjacent troughs such that heat may be applied to each disc face, which defines the vertical sides of the muffin.
Another example of a batch type appliance for baking comestibles from batter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,513 to Carbon provides a cone baker including a mold assembly and a core assembly which are pivotally connected to a frame. Heating elements are positioned in the mold and the core assemblies to heat batter, which is poured into the mold cavity to form the cone or related food item of a tapered cylindrical shape.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents differ significantly in their construction from the present invention and do not disclose the features of the present automatic muffin maker.